Tags Archives:spoken word

MCMI REPORT: LEVELS – A PLACE (VIDEO)

A Band, A Movement, A Musical Journey, An Experience

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A PLACE is the 1st single off of the debut album LEVELS, which is also the name of the band, lead by frontman Keith “WildChild” Middleton, along with Aaron Marcellus on vocals, guitarist Luca “Mack” Marcias, Jacopo “Snow” Mazza on Keyboards. The group is international, one from NY, one from Atlanta and two from Italy and have been performing on stages in Europe, Japan and the US, the past couple of years, writing, performing and testing out songs for this album. The four artists – all on different musical paths, from Rock to Funk, to Hip Hop, to R&B, to Jazz and Classical – have arrived at the same destination – LEVELS!

A PLACE, seems at first a simple love song “There’s no place that I would rather be … right here with you, my dear, beside me…” but it actually is a more complex and textured interpretation of Adam and Eve as our common ancestor, what binds all mankind in love and unity. Delving into the multi dynamic layers of Love, the international super group, LEVELS, explore the musical nuances of Hip-Hop, Neo Soul, Jazz, Pop, R&B, Funk, Afrobeat, and Latin genres. These diverse styles help to fully articulate the time traveling journey of Adam as he searches for his soulmate Eve after being exiled from paradise.

Keith explains “They say the legend of Adam and Eve is written in the stars. If you look closely, you may notice the two were cast out of paradise as punishment for eating an apple from the Forbidden Tree of Truth. Now both mortal, Adam vows to Eve that he will always find her in their next lives. A secret he learned from his one bite of the apple. In present day, it is written that Adam will find Eve at one of his shows with his band LEVELS.”

This album is the journey that we all share, reflecting life as Adam or Eve. The concept of belief in true love, faith you will find it, the pursuit of happiness the struggle of adversity subsequent loss and sometimes, satisfying triumph. Life is full of diversity and dynamics, and so is this album. A PLACE is your first taste of the Apple of Truth that is on its way.

‘DAYS OF FUTURE PAST’

TheMarXman in collaboration with MCMI releases DaysofFuturePast, a musical journey from the Golden Age of Hip Hop into the unknown future.

DaysofFuturePast is an alternate universe, a re-imagining of hip hop reality through the eyes of a poet. TheMarXman eloquently conveys the story of a displaced artist finding his own sound in the main stream of consciousness.

The album commences with a sound byte from the classic cartoon X-men: The Animated Series, depicting an apocalyptic era following the “assassinationofthe‘90s.” All 15 tracks are written and performed by theMarXman with the exception of “WhereI’llBe” featuring King Chung and “BeautifulStruggle” featuring Sheena O. Murray.

Each song is infused with the MarXman’s lyrical experience, blending R&B melodies with memorable “goldenera” instrumentation. Listeners are challenged to rethink their inner most desires in “T.P.I.R.” a sample from the game show The Price Is Right. Buckshot of Black Moon’s “IGotChaOpin” is remixed into a tribute to the nightlife in “Me&MyCrew.” “OfftheGround” and “TakeAFlight” directly refer to the MarXman’s upcoming solo independent tour of Western Europe in the Fall, advocating the need to soar over your comfort zone to follow your dreams.

More about The MarXman: The MarXman is a 13 year stage performer who hit the NYC scene as a spoken word artist. In 2008 he plunged into the party scene and released his first music project the NeXt: the MiXtape in 2010. As an event planner he seeks to uplift the artistic integrity of mainstream culture, starting with New York City.

MCMI Records artist Keith WildChild Middleton is back from his JAPAN TOUR! This is the second video off of the album “TRANSITIONS” scheduled to drop next month. The song was written, composed & produced by Keith Middleton. The video was directed by Brandon Polanco. Here is what the man himself had to say about it:

Avoiding taking meds, while recovering from my car wreck in ’08, I channeled all of my thoughts and energy towards things, places, people, memories etc that made me “feel good”.

Everyday I would add to this list. Eventually that list became a poem and that poem became this song.

MCMI’s own Keith ‘WildChild’ Middleton (STOMP/HYDRA/ThePLAGUE) gives us an exclusive interview on the set of his video shoot for his song “Feels Good”!

Even though he is a my brother from another mother and fellow recording artist on MCMI Records, it is hard to catch up with Keith ‘WildChild’ Middleton these days!! When he is in New York, he is locked in the studio, creating, recording, mixing almost 24/7. Between back and forth trips to Japan to promote his album, video and photo shoots – the man stays busy! So at a recent video shoot for his song “Feels Good,” off of his upcoming album “TRANSITIONS“, I asked him some questions, to give the fans some info on his music, his life and his new project. Here is a snippet of it. Click “Read More” to go to the full interview.

GMS: Most people know you from STOMP, the musical, producing and rapping for HYDRA and The PLAGUE, but you are working on this incredible Spoken Word album now, that many people did not even know about. How did that come about?

Keith: I always kept my poetry on the low. It’s private. I had played with blending it with my original music for years with aspirations of completing an album but never went further than the thought. Jan 15th 2008 12:15pm was the car wreck that became the game changer. From my Hospital bed I vowed to complete my album and live my life to the fullest! Thank Goodness for the second chance.

GMS: This album is being simultaneously released in the US and overseas in Japan. You’ve been getting a lot of support from Japanese radio and been doing performances in Japan. How did you develop your Japanese audience?

Keith: A great friend of mine / manager in Japan, Ayumi Hoshikawa, has been instrumental in introducing me to radio stations, musicians, venues, festivals and just good people in general. She’s awesome.

GMS: Having been an MC and cast member of STOMP for many years, you are no stranger to the stage or the mic, but this time you are performing your poetry. Does it feel different? How does that compare with your past experiences?

Keith: It’s more frightening because in STOMP there are no words and it’s an ensemble. Now it’s just me sharing my truths. So I am literally exposed and leaving myself open. (more…)

M Pire Magazine gets an exclusive interview with lyricist, producer and actor, MCMI’sKeith “Wild Child” Middleton. Known for his NY underground Hip Hop group HYDRA and crew The PLAGUE, and his years in the hit musical show STOMP at the Orpheum Theater, the WildChild speaks out on his new album of Spoken Word and original music, “Transitions”.